John Force a Cheater? (You Decide) U.S. Nationals 2009 

I met John Force years and years ago in Atmore, AL. (I want to say it was either 1975 or 1976). I was walking through the pit area, admiring the cars, and was standing there admiring John's car. A guy stepped up beside me and said "Pretty cool, Huh?". I answered "Cool doesn't even come close!". He shook my hand, said "HI, I'm John Force", turned and walked away. I didn't make the connection till two or three minutes later that I had just met one of the (what I consider) the greatest racers there is. I probably think with as many fans as he's met, he won't remember it, but I sure do. As a young teenager back then, it was the highlight of that year, and to this day I'm still blown away every time I see him race. "Good Luck John!!!, and may The Lord be forever smiling on Ya!!!"

No different than a NASCAR team or an F1 team telling one of their drivers to lay back and let another driver win. Happens all the time.

Is Tony gonna give back the championship he won with Force and Densham laying down for him? He had no problem with it when it was being done for his benefit.

Everyone hates on the best in any sport PERIOD.

"These are my race teams. I do what I want to do." CASE. CLOSED.

Force couldn't 'cheat' from the left lane? lol

Always a fine line between cheating and strategy.

It's strategy. It's a rather cruel strategy, to the fans and Tony and whatnot, but it's strategy. They need money to race. Drag racing costs a lot of money and they get that money from sponsors. Also, what people don't know is that due to everyone's positions in the points, when Robert won that race it meant Tony had to win the race against Ashley to stay in the countdown. Had John won it would have been fine and Tony would have been in the countdown either way. He's not mad because he lost to Ashley, he's mad because John set him up into a bad position. It was cruel, but it was strategy, and I think it's fair. John did what he had to to help his team.

Thank you John for being yourself for a lot of years. You are the best drag racer of all time. Jimmy Prock the best tuner of all time!!!

Don't want to see a John Force car win? Beat him then! Otherwise, it's just sour grapes.

I'm a poor man most of my life, my car has set in the garage for decades, but I have taken care of my kids myself and family. All those things come first. Seems really strange whenever I see wealthy people arguing over things that are non consequential to life. You go out there and win or lose, it's supposed to be about fun, enjoyment of cars and all that goes with it. Losing is part of it and so is winning. The old-timers used to tell us Farm kids where the wealthy people are, you might not likely ever be, it's Lonely at the Top, but at the bottom us Farm people have our families. And so the old Mopar still sets down there in the garage... I smile everytime I see it. You don't have to win to be a winner

I love Johns order of team sponsorship and staff. John has class and the driving force to get it done. I respect this man for who he is, John Force is drag racing's living legend. Keep going old man !!

John Force is still a badass. A true legend

Im a local small time racer here in south Florida , PBIR(aka moroso) is my closest track , I have met John and his daughter and spent quiet a bit of time around them , and I can tell you no one likes losing and everyone loves winning , the force family takes racing seriously and at the same time knows its all for fun. I dont care what one salty loser would say , i personally feel i know the forces well enough to say they would never cheat ! and they would be the first to point out if someone was a cheater. the guy who had the fastest consistant passes at that event won that event , cry me a river . Ashley force gassed you . You and your brothers careers have sense fallen off , a step down hill spiral like flushing your career down the toilet . The force name ,brings fans to events and puts asses in seats and sales tickets which is exactly what the sport needs to grow and continue to exist , how many people lines up for those other guys autographs , they are just salty that even with big sponsers they still cant beat John Force AND Ashley Force .

"You gotta do what you gotta do." I don't think we need to decide John did it for us lol

Wow this "John Force" guy is a stand up act! Much respect to him and his family. People talking dirty about him and he puts em down and tells it how it is!

It's just tactics.

Tony was 100% correct it makes zero sense for him to accept the crappy lane ! he really did cheat here he knew exactly what the car was going to do. the fact he was as angry as he was at pedregon solidifys it ! anger is fear turned outward force was afraid cause pedregon exposed him cheating and this is why Nhra has gone down the tubes , cause they encourage cheating and take the money instead of making it a legitimate sport!

Force is a team player, do what's best for the team. JF number 1#

John said 'He ain't my friend no More'!!!!!😂😭😂

Back in my dirt days the saying was. If you ain't cheating you ain't eating

The Pedregon's are just but hurt because he cant beat Force. Force isnt the first team to have multiple cars in a class

I'm sorry this isn't cheating. This is called strategizing. If you don't like it, beat him on the track when you're racing him. You can't complain when he's racing a teammate and gives them an advantage. He could just as easily kill the throttle half way down the strip in the better lane. I would actually go as far as to say, if it's that likely you're going to spin your tires in the right lane, that's the actual fix. Everybody in that lane is almost guaranteed to lose just based on track inconsistencies. If you want to complain about the sport, complain about that. These guys who are complaining are completely content to take the better lane in every race, and do whatever it takes to get there, and the moment somebody else beats them at their own game, they're crying about it.

Not cheating. However, Tony is a snitch and should be treated as one.

Love the way Schumacher screwed force at his own game this past year! Karma's a bitch!

So what if john did let robert win that's not really cheating in fact he should've let him won and when the other guys get a big team like that they can do the same. pedregon needs to stop being a sore loser.

Sour grapes man. Robert looked like he was having a good run in the right lane and not for the fire may have won. If you ever saw the TV series, John was always late when he was worried about his daughter in the race. Cruz and Tony need to suck it up and stop whinging!

It worked out, Tony is awesome in the booth.

I like both the Force team and the Pedregon boys and yes, it is a team sport, but a lay down is still a lay down....and THAT was a lay down and everybody knows it.

How is it cheating when it's your team that you're running against either way you win being a team player isn't against the rules Force was the BALLS

John has always been low class. But it's not his fault that motorsports have become a multi team sport. Harvick did the same thing long ago in NASCAR when he told his driver Ron Hornaday to let him by or else. Basically auto racing is entertainment, not a true sport.

Love the fact that everyone who said robert didn't deserve to be in the countdown had to shut up when he won the championship in that year from the 10 spot lol john force is the man period

It's very obvious to anyone who is not a fool, that Force did this on purpose.

I remember watching that, screaming, "Throw a chair...somebody throw a chair!!!" That was NHRA meets WWE meets Geraldo Rivera meets......GREAT TELEVISION!

Played the system and won. What's the problem?

I don't care what those guys say about John Force! I met him at the old Sears Point Raceway, and he was the nicest guy in the race business I've ever met. And I've met a lot of them. John is in a class all his own, and these other guys are jealous of his accomplishments! He just outsmarts them! It's something us older guys do well! Lmfao! Keep up the good work John Force!!

"He's not my friend anymore" lol like a little kid.

Of Cooooourse!!!! John Force is one hell of a character, and one hell.of a ____________ (you fill in the adjective).

It's strategy! If they do it, let them do it!

Force is not a cheater

If nhra did not want sand bagging, they should have limited teams to entering only 1 car. Otherwise, you do what you need to do to win. That’s what your sponsers are paying you to do.

So John burned his tires and lost againts Hieght so he can go up against Ashley and lose so she can Win? Am I getting that right? I've always been a John Force fan but never found out exactly what they claimed he did that day.

John Force is the man.

It’s just like team orders in F1. It’s a team and he wants his team to win. At the end of the day John Force is running a multi million dollar business with tons of pressure from his sponsors. You wanna beat him? GO FASTER THAN HIM.

Was a Force fan in 1980 when he couldn’t win a race. He was 16 time champ at the time of this incident and staged his car crooked pointed at the wall, it was very obvious! Now for those who think it is ok for team mates to take a fall, the NHRA has a rule against it. The fans pay good money to watch these cars race and they are expected to perform to the best of their ability. Force staged crooked to take the fall to allow Hight to clinch the #10 spot in the countdown to the championship. Since there is a rule against this, that makes Force a cheater! No matter how star struck anyone is and can’t accept the truth. What made this controversy worse was that Hight went on to win the championship. In the video Force stated, “the sponsors on the side of these cars pay us to win and we do what we have to to win.” I would call that an admission of guilt. When I saw John stage his car crooked I lost all respect for him and was no longer a fan after 29 years. His narcissism is so extreme that he puts his racing before his wife and kids. Two of his daughters have already quit racing because they put their families first! Much respect to them for being better characters than their sperm donor...!

Cheat? Fuck no. John's worked to hard to get where he is to lose it all and all of the respect gained by cheating.

Craziest thing of all is that John’s strategy ended up costing Ashley the championship!

Well, you ither are a good driver or NOT. A looser that sucks is one that cant take a loss with pride. Always another day to try.

There is no cheating in multi-car operations. You do what is best for the sponsor, end of story. I think Cruz and Whit date a lot because the both whine about the same.

John force is the man

And the Pedregon's and especially Mike Dunn would have done the exact same thing if they were in the position too. But guess what they weren't in then and still aren't now. But look who is , that's right THE MAN, JOHN FORCE !!!!

If you put yourself in a position to lose then it's your problem. Irregardless of what force or anyone else does.

In every racing genre when you are given an opportunity to benefit yourself, team, carrier, family etc. YOU DO IT !!!! Period. John Force is the best funny car driver that ever lived. There isnt enough people like him in the sport. As for broadcasting the event it's all about the numbers. Their network cares less about racing. If someone dies they make more money... so why let them make your mind up here? Carry on.

8:16 i like how he threw that in for the tv. knowing damn well he meant knuckling up later that night.

I can hear that dude Ed Bassmaster " John Force ?? " *PSSH*

Wow! The best drag racer of all time in intensive care and you drag up a twelve year old story trying to defame him. Talk about a lack of class.

That wasn't the first time John Force did that nor the last AND he isn't the only one. It's simple strategy and not even the NHRA should poke their nose in it.

If you want him to quit running up the score then stop him.

I will concede this America, you have given the world some absolute SHITE but this stuff is amazing, simply legendary, the characters, the cars, the speed. Badass.

If you ain't cheating, you ain't winning.

Sounds like sour grapes by the Pedregon's to me. I mean if you had the car then it would not come down to some other race to get in. That's like blaming the refs for a loss because you missed your free throws.

5:23 “I got the car in the countdown. That’s what Auto Club and Ford pay me for....”. 7:55 “These are my race teams, I do what I want to do...” John CHEATED!!!! It is against NHRA’s rules to intentially throw the race! John threw it to get his son in law in the number 10 spot for the championship countdown! If you have great love and respect for the cheater, I issue this challenge! There are 40 years of video of the fabulous Force, I challenge anyone to find a video and link it right here, that shows Force cut a 0.2 reaction time with his car staged pointing at the wall so that he has to lift immediately upon hitting the throttle!!! If anyone can’t link a video of this happening multiple times in 40 years then the probability is extremely high that it was intentional! Let’s face it, Force knows how to stage a car straight and cut a good light!!!

I haven't seen many drag racing but wht I hav seen and heard!smoke tires then move to the left lane!John the cheater....John u have rules!u hav respect for the sport and for the fans then why cheat?

He chose the right lane to get data incase he got stuck in the right kind in the finals

Whoever that John Force guy is, he can't drive very good. He ran off the race track... I kinda like "that old mans spunk though" The other guy, "Hight" beat him good in that first race. That John Force guy didn't cheat, and he never has in over 40 years.... lol. LOVE YOU JOHN

If it isn't against the rules, it ain't cheatin.

Summer of 98. I attended the Northwest Nationals at SIR. Force made a run and while riding his moped back up to the starting line he stopped at this platform where all the disabled kids in wheel chairs were watching the races. He spent a good bit of time there talking with each one of them and gave them all autographs. Guess who else stopped and did the same thing.... nobody thats who. Earlier that day my dad and I had showed up early to see if we could catch him to get an autograph. All the other drivers were still in their motorhomes but sure enough he was out there with his crew working on his car already. He autographed my hat and we chatted for a few minutes. I was 14 years old and blown away that JOHN FORCE took the time to stop and chat with me. Cheater or not John Force is a hell of a guy.

I love this guy! He is among the few who will take the time to acknowledge his fans at any time, at any place. A true legend!!!!!

To be the man you gotta beat the man

John has the last three cars in the race, he is the boss, he can play it any way he wants. That's smart racing. There is more to this business than just going down the track.

the ric flair of racing lmao

As if this is the only sport where things are done within the rules that don't demonstrate the best sportsmanship . Would you really expect the man to go all in and take a hit for it ? Blame the system , not the players . Every sport has situations arise where it's to one's advantage to lose a game . For a lower draft pick , for a more favorable opponent in playoffs , to rest players for more important games ahead , whatever . The fans are aware of it and don't show up at times knowing one team is laying down . It's accepted . Racing is all about multiple car teams . One car teams have it tough for a lot more reasons than this . No one in the place thought he should try to win except the hermanos .

Just my two cents worth.... I remember seasons where Force's tuner found ways to run faster than everyone else, but the tuneup to run that fast blew the engine at the end of nearly every run. Force knew that he would probably be stuck in a burning race car - actually more often than not - on every pass, but he also knew that's what it took to win. He earned his way to the top. I do think multi car teams have ruined most of motorsports, but racers make their living working for their sponsors, win or lose they have the same expenses - no matter how much the winner's money is it's not enough to compete and not there at all if you don't win. Racing has become more big business than a sport. I can see being pissed about someone taking a dive to "bend" the outcome of a race/championship - but there's no way to stop it from happening, deals between seemingly separate teams have been made behind closes doors all along - say two independent cars meet on track, both privately sponsored (there are billionaires who own several teams) by the same source, the team not doing as well in the championship takes the dive and no one is the wiser. NHRA can't outlaw teams when they can exist without their knowledge, which has gone on for decades in NASCAR, it was just kept hidden from the public. NASCAR is the association that can - and does - control who even has a chance to win any race in the championship - here's how.... Part of the rules that changed when they went to fuel injection is that everyone has to use the same system, seems like that would make everything even, but NASCAR ruled that THEY supply each team the ECM box at EACH race throughout the season - no exceptions - the boxes are programmed differently for each track. So NASCAR gets more money from some of THEIR sponsors than others, yup they operate on series sponsorship money, so how they program each team's box at each race controls how well the car can perform - the cars that don't represent NASCAR'S sponsor(s) get programming that holds the car back from performing as well as the others. When you're at the top of the game people resent what you've accomplished, and especially the power you've earned to control more of what goes on around you. Hard work got Force where he is - that includes what he's learned about winning in business as well as racing.

If it seems like the whole world is after you ... it's because you are in the lead.

well I guess cruzer should have won one more race ....then he would have not been in that position

well i feel its strategy.. not cheating.. i feel where Tony is coming from. but to be honest i think Tony is upset with finishing 2nd to Force alot. then to get beat by Ashley Force.. i think it was thelast straw.

What can I say Mr. force it’s Lonely at the top keep kickin ass and takin names

It’s called being smart and strategic, I see nothing wrong there it happens in all types of Motorsports.

Loved that year of the U. S Nat. Force just showed that ole Shirley Muldowny was right when she said the NASCAR race for chase format wont work in drag racing. Cheater or not he got the job done and Hight was in. Good job John.

Cry me a river..it's a strategic calculated step. Do what it takes to win!

Saw this live. I do belive that it John intended for Hight to win. Here's my point. You can bet that if roles were reversed and Tony had to race Cruz and Cruz needed to win to get in the top 10 Tony would have allowed it to happen. I lost a lot of respect for Tony after that . Force did what was necessary to get his driver in. Anyone would do the same. I do like Cruz and hope he does better in the future.

I am sorry but "cheating" like this has always been a part of drag racing. These guys are all hustlers from waaaay back. Obviously John is going to give his daughter the best chance to win that he can. Drivers throw races all the time to help their teams. There is simply no way to absolutely prove that Force lost on purpose anyway. Part of the game.

i lost all respect for the pedregons after that race !

When you win as much as Force's race teams,and John himself. People gonna cry. To me it doesn't matter,he could have pulled to the line and shut it off,got out and drank a Pepsi while Hight made his pass. IN ORDER TO BE THE MAN, YOU GOT TO BEAT THE MAN,and nobody has done that consistently for years now. John Force is the best to ever sit in a funny car period.

It's just business, ask formula one, they do the same shit all day long. Where money is involved these things will happen.

John Force doesn't cheat, he doesn't have to; come Pedregon grow a set of balls and man up (YOU LOST), I lost a fishing tournament because the other guy cheated and caught more fish, geez Tony what a baby you are! GO JOHN GO!

"Teams" have ruined racing.

"Generally" the one yelling the loudest is the biggest liar.

I understand both sides but I feel any team would have done the same strategy in that position. Cheating--- no---- competing.

Petragon got beat by a girl, a force girl.....

It's just like baseball some time you gotta take one for the team. All the multiple teams do it Cruz knows

John Force has a real Gary Busey thing going on that I never noticed before.

I've been with Robert in his truck when he's mixing the fuel- he's incredibly focused and kind. Drag racers are some of the best guys you could ever come across...

strategy isn't cheating..

I feel sorry for Tony, 4 seconds of emotions cost him the best friend he probably ever had.

Doesn't matter if John's a cheater or not. We all know Tony's a lityle girl whinner!

If John Force helped out another driver who cares. They do it in every race NASCAR.

I'm no NHRA fan, so I don't believe I could render an opinion as to there being cheating. But if the outcome was in fact manipulated, I would blame the NHRA for the way their rules work, and making it possible for racing teams to manipulate the outcome of races.

John sounds like a pissed off super Dave

If you ain't cheating ya ain't tryin